Forms

Since we have been talking about forms so much I figured Ill try and write on it. This theory is seemingly simple if you look at it in the way that we have been discussing it with the "four categories" on the chart that was made. When I really study it, its a lot more difficult to grasp and also hard to draw a line between the gray areas of the "categories". I can agree with most of Plato's reasoning on the forms, but I don't know if its made clear the ways in which one can learn to reason. Maybe I haven't read enough Plato yet. How can one be able to give well thought out reasons? Maybe by knowing how to distinguish "images" and "reflections" and concentrating on their root of representation. I understand that Plato thinks that works of art and drama are not good for this process because we are using our own interpretations, but on the other hand I feel that freedom of expression is so important to our culture and day to day life. This could get seriously tangled if one began to think about it. Does this mean we aren't to have any source of entertainment or sense of individualism? How is Plato not contradicting himself by giving us his interpretation of what he thinks is true. The way he was raised and the means of his culture gave a distinct way of interpretation and communication to him...How do we know what he perceives to be right is right if he is but a product of the same world we live in today? Is this theory really timeless, or has the growth of knowledge and everything else wiped out this theory or at least revised it?